The CW President Mark Pedowitz Talks THE FLASH, SUPERNATURAL Spin-Off, Status of the WONDER WOMAN Series AMAZON, and More

During The CW portion of the TCA Press Tour, network president Mark Pedowitz took some time to discuss current programming, upcoming series and shows in various development stages. During the interview, he talked about any potential feature film conflicts in doing a spin-off for The Flash, the status of the Wonder Woman origin story Amazon, possible future Batman and/or Superman TV properties, what the Supernatural spin-off will look like, the last six episodes of Nikita, what’s coming for Season 2 of Beauty and the Beast, and the expectations for The Originals and Reign. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

In terms of The Flash, DC has movie plans for that character, as well. Are there any conflicts with you doing a potential spin-off for The Flash, or have they signed off?

MARK PEDOWITZ: None that I’m aware of. I’ve spoken to Diane Nelson, who runs DC Comics, as well as Peter Roth, and we’re good to go. Greg [Berlanti] has spoken to them. There are no conflicts, in any way, shape or form.

In May, you said that you were still developing the Wonder Woman origin story, Amazon. Does The Flash put that on hold, or is Amazon still a potential series for the network?

PEDOWITZ: Amazon is on pause right now. The script isn’t quite where we want it. It’s an iconic DC character, and we are not going to put it on unless it works. And now, having the DC universe expand, with the origins of Black Canary coming on this year, as well as potential origins of The Flash, it’s better to wait and get it right.

Beyond there being no conflict between the DC shows and movies, is there the chance for actual continuity between them, and for them to reference each other?

PEDOWITZ: We haven’t had those discussions yet, as far as that goes. That probably could happen, but they may exist in separate universes. I don’t know yet.

We’re evidently two years away from the Superman/Batman teaming on screen. Do you have thoughts, a few years beyond, about reviving those franchises for television?

PEDOWITZ: I always have thoughts about that. But, the question goes to, “Does the studio want to move them back to TV or keep them on the theatrical side?” I have to listen to Warner Bros. and what they want to do with those characters that are iconic to them. So, we’ll see what happens.

How will the Supernatural spin-off be similar to and different from the base Supernatural series?

PEDOWITZ: It is planned to be a planted spin-off. Right now, it’s at the beginning of the development, for that particular platform. It will be set in Chicago. There will be hunters. There will be monsters. But, it plans to be planted. And I don’t believe anyone is intending to have continuing characters in it that are presently on Supernatural.

What are your feelings about Supernatural and its upcoming ninth season? Do you expect that will be it, as you launch this spin-off, or could you see a tenth season?

PEDOWITZ: I would love Supernatural to continue, as long as they have great storytelling to tell. From what I’ve read so far and seen in Jeremy Carver’s plans, he’s creating arcs that can go longer. As long as the fan base is there and the ratings are there, there’s no reason why it couldn’t continue.

You have six episodes of Nikita left to air. When are you planning on scheduling those for?

PEDOWITZ: They are individual episodes, but we may end up doing a two-hour finale after we run the first four episodes, singularly. We’re aiming for mid-November or the end of November into December, to continue original programming in the fourth quarter and to give it the appropriate send-off.

What’s coming for Beauty and the Beast, in Season 2?

PEDOWITZ: Well, we brought Brad Kern in to work with the team, and we’re going to go into more romance and mythology this year. We’ve re-crafted what the beast looks like, somewhat. We have great faith in it, creatively. I’ve seen the first couple of storylines. We do know that Vincent was captured and Gabe was allegedly killed, and we’ll see whether or not that actually happened.

What are The CW’s expectations for The Originals?

PEDOWITZ: We believe these are people that the fans have known, for the last three years, and we’re hoping that built-in equity allows the fans to come. And we hope that Julie Plec, who is such a talented showrunner, will create a show that will allow others to come. So, I’m actually somewhat confident that it will continue its fan base, and it’s very different than S.H.I.E.L.D.

How do you think a lush, historic period piece like Reign fits into your brand?

PEDOWITZ: To my development team’s great strength, and to CBS Studios’ faith in the show, we took a shot with Reign, which is high-concept, and very different, historical fiction. We felt that going with Reign would attract women of all ages. We also felt that by pairing Reign with The Vampire Diaries, we’d give Reign the best shot to have the most 18- to 34-year-olds, particularly women, going into that show. And we felt Reign was different enough, particularly with Adelaide Kane, who’s a phenomenal actress. So, we’re thrilled to have her and the rest of the cast.